Women entrepreneurs are an economic force within the American and Oregon
economy. Women are starting businesses at two to five times the rate of
men. There has been significant research detailing the demographics, barriers,
and business management skills of women business owners. Yet, the research
to date has been limited and has not contributed to the development of a
conceptual model which describes the woman entrepreneur. The purpose of
this research was to develop a conceptual model of a woman entrepreneur.
Case studies of ten women entrepreneurs were constructed through extensive
interviews. The women identified for this study were white middle class
Americans. They were selected through a criterion-based sample technique.
The attributes identified were: 1 ) women entrepreneurs who owned, controlled
and operated their business; 2) women entrepreneurs who had been in
business a minimum of two years; and 3) women who considered their
business to be a full-time endeavor. Written case studies derived from the
interview data were submitted to the participants for their validation. The
data were qualitatively analyzed to determine emergent patterns and themes.
Women entrepreneurs create their businesses, attract and retain their customers,
interact with their vendors, overcome barriers, supervise employees and
manage their businesses by developing and nurturing a network of relationships.
These relationships are the foundation of the women entrepreneurs'
businesses and represent the dynamic core of the way they view themselves
as individuals in business. Women entrepreneurs create and maintain a web
of interconnected relationships that can not be viewed in isolation, or negated.
These results are supported by the psychological literature relating to women.
Implications for small business counselors, consultants, and training specialists
exist. / Graduation date: 1993
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/36848 |
| Date | 15 January 1993 |
| Creators | Putnam, Carol A. |
| Contributors | Haverson, Wayne W. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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